Will I Ever Return?
by MsElementalDawn
Summary: Rosalind finds herself separated and years away from Robert and after finding a letter telling her to find him in New York's "Last Eden" she decides she may have just one more chance to be with him. But first she has to find him, and with all the dangers lurking around, that may be impossible. Rated T for language.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I don't own Bioshock Infinite or any characters._

Chapter 1:

It was by accident that Rosalind found herself separated from her brother. She'd wanted to see how far she could go into the future, she'd seen the 1950's through a tear, but now that she had the ability to jump through possibilities, maybe she could jump through time as well. Looking back, it was silly. She hadn't even researched or gathered any information before she attempted her experiment. And without Robert at that. He wouldn't have agreed with it, not without proper research. And maybe that would have been the best choice.

After Booker had been drowned before his baptism, they'd found themselves in Robert's old apartment. She could recall having the same one before she helped form Columbia. Of course, Robert didn't have Comstock to fund him, so he'd been stuck living in a dusty old house.

They'd suddenly discovered that they could interact with the world more then before. Her theory was that because Booker hadn't been alive to have Anna, then the events that led up to their "death" in 1909 never occurred. Of course Robert had pointed out that the fact that they were still together. And if Rosalind's universe had been erased, then she should have been erased as well. But she wasn't gone, she was still here. That implied that even though Booker drowned, Comstock still went on to exist somehow.

She was fine with that, Elizabeth was back with Booker and they were still together. What was the problem?

"If the events that lead to our death never occurred, then we can no longer jump." he explained. But they could, she discovered. They could still jump through possibilities and even into the future. But Robert was worried, he was sure that the ability would eventually blanch with time. "Don't jump anymore Rosalind." he said, "I don't want either us to be separated if the ability suddenly vanishes."

"Oh? And if I'm getting attacked by some street rat, I should let it happen instead of jumping to safety?" she questioned, she'd become far too accustomed to traveling anywhere at will. Robert only sighed in response, they both knew that wouldn't happen. She never went out, and when she did, he was always beside her.

"Just don't do it, Rosalind." Robert said firmly. And she'd agreed to listen to him, but on her own she continued to test her limits. And now, it seemed, she'd gone too far. She was trapped in this new place. It was a wasteland, not at all like the New York she knew or any she'd seen through a tear. There was absolutely nothing around but garbage and eradicated buildings.

With no other choice, Rosalind made her way through the city to Robert's house. A part of her was hoping that he'd still be there when she arrived. She didn't know how far into the future she'd gone, but they couldn't die, he should still be there. If he'd decided to stay in that dusty old house of his. "Of course he did." Robert loved his house and in the two years they had spent there after Booker and Elizabeth's reunion, he'd done nothing but restore it to a former glory that he seemed to think it had.

And because of that, the house was one of the only buildings that were capable of sheltering anyone from the outside world. The windows were unsightly, a big difference from the windows Robert had shined countless times. The paint on the walls had peeled and disintegrated, but the inside was almost intact, in fact it was just as she remembered it. "Robert!" she called. She waited for a moment for her brother to reveal himself and perhaps scold her for her asininity. She shouldn't have gone against his wishes, they weren't completely unfounded. But he didn't emerge from any room in the house, she was only greeted with saturnity.

She felt an unknown feeling. She'd been lonely before, in her days before Robert had joined her, but this was an entirely new feeling. Maybe she was scared. The idea that Robert was gone, along with all the other people of the world was just getting to her. She scanned the living room and sighed, maybe he'd gone out. If that was the case, he would return soon enough. She just had to wait.

While waiting, she looked through the living room. There were a few paintings that she didn't remember being there. It made since that Robert would continue to paint in her absence, but what surprised her was that the pictures were of her. If she recalled correctly, Robert never painted her. He'd ask her to pose in a rather tiresome position and they would spend the next few hours in the same position. Her holding up something and him painting a picture of himself. Yes, himself. He never painted her, never.

"I'm just testing constants." he'd explained, "You always pose for me, even though I never paint you." And despite how sore she tended to get when he did that, she would always pose. Maybe because she wanted to, maybe because she wanted to be there just in case he had decided to paint her. "It's not impossible." he'd laughed, "Just not likely."

She examined the paintings, all of them were of her. A few of himself and maybe 1 or 2 of… Booker and a young Elizabeth? Of course she was Anna now but… had they really posed long enough for Robert to paint them? It didn't seem likely, Booker still slightly remembered them and had told them to stay away after they'd gone to check on him. She looked at one specific painting, it was only half finished. It was a painting of herself and Robert standing together. They stood in the same wasteland that she was in now. She remembered passing the very same building in the painting. Under the canvas was a letter.

"Rosalind, should you ever return, you may find me at the New York's 'Last Eden' I'll be waiting. _Like I always did - _Robert Lutece. November 8, 1989." She gasped and dropped the letter. 1989? It had been 1895 when she'd jumped… It had been 89 years since she jumped and she'd never returned.

"If this note was written this year." she murmured. She had no idea when the letter had been written. It could be 2098 for all she knew. She began to search the house for more clues. She needed to know the date, once she did she would be able to calm down. If it was still 1989, then Robert would still be at the 'Last Eden', wherever that was. All she needed to do was find him.

0.o.0.o.0

New Lutece story. Because there are only a few of them on this site and that's totally not enough. This one is actually just Rosalind. Robert will only appear in journals or something and maybe if she reunites with him. I actually haven't decided if she will or not. I think there would be a lot more impact if she was left alone forever to think about her mistakes. But it would also teach her a lesson if she returned to Robert and everything was okay. Or maybe I'll leave it ambiguous for you guys to decide. Maybe…


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

She hadn't spent anytime moping around the house. Instead, Rosalind had chosen to get right to work. She changed into something more comfortable for walking. A pair of trousers and shoes without heels. She had no idea how far Robert was, but it wouldn't matter, she'd get there eventually. And when she arrived, he would be waiting for her.

She entered Robert's room and took a coat from his closet. The room hadn't changed much in terms of arrangement, but she noticed he'd changed the sheets on the bed. No longer were they the mint green she'd grown accustomed to, but they were a dark red that reminded her far too much of dried blood. If she found him, she would have to ask what had caused such a drastic change.

_When_ she found him, she corrected.

She didn't dwell on the thought too much, she instead headed for the door. It was time to go, she's spent far too much time there already. She opened the door and stepped outside, at first she was shocked. The temperature had dropped considerably in the short time she'd been inside. She was glad to have grabbed a coat, but even that didn't seem to buffer against the extreme winds. She hunched her shoulders and buried her face in the collar of the coat, inside of one of the pockets was a pair of gloves and a very thin scarf. The scarf was thin, but it would do the job. She wrapped it around her neck quickly and slipped on the gloves. They were wool gloves and a little too bug for her slender hands. Her ears were exposed and her hair threatened to come undone, but she ignored it and continued on.

After what seemed like an hours, she stopped and took a break. Her feet ached and her muscles had begun to freeze. She had a feeling she was becoming hypothermic. If that was the case, she would have to find somewhere warm to rest for the day. She breathed in slowly, it was still light out, she didn't want to stop yet. But it was the better of two options: Wander aimlessly around an unfamiliar town in the cold or rest and gather her senses. Of course she chose to rest.

"Pretty cold ain't it?" She turned towards the source of the voice and saw a large man walking over to her. She narrowed her eyes at him and frowned, she hadn't expected to run into anybody.

"It is." she agreed.

"You got time to talk?" he asked as he leaned against the wall next to her.

"I do not, I have somewhere to be." she stood up straight and began to walk away, only to be pulled back by the man, "What are you doing?"

"Where did you come from? People don't talk like that around her." he said.

"I came from 1895." she answered. She hid her smile under the scarf as he looked at her in confusion.

"Your one of them freaks, huh?" he shook his head, "I met a man like you before. He had the same dumb accent and claimed to be from 1895 too, Fucking weird, I'll tell you this, he didn't last too long. The people here ate him alive and stole everything he had."

"They ate him?" she couldn't hide the disgust in her voice.

"No, I mean the attacked him." the man laughed, "They beat him until he couldn't move and then stole his clothes. Poor man, they left him naked on the ground." Rosalind swallowed and looked away.

"Did he die?" she asked.

"Nope, he got up and walked away." the man said, "Never seen him again. People keep saying that they see him or hear him. They say he's looking for his sister."

"He had a sister?" Was the man in the story Robert? Had he jumped here and gotten trapped as well. It scared her to even think about it. "What was his name?"

"Robert." the man answered, "He was weird I tell you, weird. So you best stop with that 1895 act, it'll only lead to trouble."

"Robert…" she repeated softly. He was somewhere around her, "When did that happen?"

"Just a few months back." the man sighed, "But forget that. There's going to be a storm tonight, you should go back home."

"I can't, I have to meet my brother somewhere." she stepped away from him, "But thank you for the warning." she began walking away.

"Hey! Are you heading to Eden?" he asked.

"What does that matter?" she asked.

"Because, it's a mess down there and there are nothing but mutants there." he said, "Your brother wouldn't be waiting down there."

"Thank you for the concern, but I'll be fine." she said. She hurried around a corner and sighed. She now knew she was going in the right direction. Surely she'd find the Last Eden somewhere in this direction. The thought of an oncoming storm worried her slightly, but it wouldn't matter, she was going to rest soon anyway. She just needed to find some place that would provide adequate shelter.

She sped up slightly, ignoring her aching feet and continued to look around. There didn't seem to be any buildings that would protect her from the oncoming storm. She clenched her jaw and continued on, she couldn't turn back now, she had no idea where she- The store! She could see the store from the painting. In a rush of excitement she rushed forward and tripped on a rock, she managed a gasp before she hit the ground and passed out.

0.o.0.o.0

"_This wind is becoming rather annoying." she muttered_ _to herself as she sped up. She gripped her coat tightly and sighed._

"_Did you say something?" Robert asked. His voice was barely audible over the wind. At their height, the wind was usually violent, but so far they'd been able to keep it to a minimum. Today, their methods were not working and the wind was unbearable. It whipped at them furiously and she wasn't sure how much she could handle. "Rosalind?" Robert called._

"_It's nothing." she had fallen far behind him and had to rush to keep up. They were almost home and she would be glad to finally get back to her research, perhaps she'd even enjoy a cup of tea. She felt Robert place his arm around her and she raised her eyebrows, "What are you doing?"_

"_You'll freeze if we don't get home faster." he said._

"_I'm fine." She sighed, but she allowed him to hold her close to him._

"_You're shivering." He said._

"_It's winter, I believe that's normal." She reminded with slight annoyance._

"_Don't argue with me on this, the last thing we need is for you to get sick." Robert said._

"_Robert. I'll be fine." She shrugged his arm away. She hated when he treated her as if she was some defenseless child. She could handle a little cold. _

"_Of course you will." Robert agreed, "But there's no shame in asking for help, you are turning into a ice cube and clearly you need some extra warmth."_

"_If you believe so." she sighed, fighting with Robert was futile. It was like fighting with herself. She smiled at the irony in the words, it was exactly like that._

"_Here, wear my coat for now." Robert decided, "It'll keep you warm."_

_The offer surprised her, "And what will you wear?" she questioned as he draped his coat over her shoulders._

"_My sweater, I don't get cold as fast as you do." Robert said, "We are almost home, it won't matter soon enough." Rosalind nodded, she knew how stubborn he could be when he made up his mind because she, after all, was the same way._

0.o.0.o.0

The storm was in full swing when she awoke. Still outside, her body temperature had dropped considerably and she found herself paralyzed on the pavement. She tried to call out for help but she couldn't get her lips to move, it seemed they were frozen shut. A wave of panic hit her as she realized that she wouldn't be able to get up and move into the store. She shut her eyes and commanded her body to move, she wasn't sure if she would die from the cold, but she didn't want to risk it.

It took a while, but she was finally able to sit up and drag herself over to the store. The door was wide open, and she was able to pull herself inside easily. It was slightly warmer inside, but not warm enough. She continued to drag herself further away from the door, it was getting warmer. "Did you close the door?" she heard someone say, "It's freezing." It sounded like Elizabeth, but she was Anna now, and she was with Booker. "I'll check it out." Rosalind waited, maybe this woman would help her. "Papa, look at this!"

There were footsteps, and then gasps. "Are you okay?" She managed a groan before she felt someone lifting her, "Take her to the fireplace, I'll close the door."

"God, her skin feels like wax." a man said, "And her leg… One of them bit her!"

"What was she doing out there?" the woman asked, "Do you think she'll make it?"

"Robert…" she whispered before passing out once more.

0.o.0.o.0

"She's a scientist?" a man asked.

"A physicist." the woman clarified, "A brilliant one at that."

"What's she doing here? I thought anybody smart was protected in Last Eden." the man huffed, "She can't be that smart."

"But she is." the woman said, "I know her." Rosalind stayed still, who were these people?

"Aileen…" the man sighed, "We won't be able to care for her."

"She doesn't need much care, just bandages, we can spare bandages." Aileen said. She felt someone's hand on her face, "She's still cold, but she's breathing better."

"Mhmm, the storm didn't do her any favors." the man said, "I'll fetch some soup, it looks like she's waking up."

"Alright." Aileen said. She heard the man walk away and she opened her eyes.

"Aileen…" she breathed, "Who…"

"I run this store with my papa, Leo." Aileen said, "We found you on the street, you were bleeding."

"Bleeding?" She shook her head, "I merely tripped, I couldn't have done that much damage."

"Enough damage to pass out." Aileen smiled and her smile looked very familiar, "You probably got bitten after you passed out. What were you doing out there?" Rosalind closed her eyes again and frowned. She was bitten? She couldn't tell, her body was far too numb.

"I saw this store in a painting, one my brother had begun some time ago." she explained, "I thought I might find him here."

"Hm, Your brother left home?"

"No, we've been separated for sometime now." Even though it had only been a day for her, for Robert, she'd been gone a little over 90 years. "I went home to find him gone, but his message said he'd be at New York's Last Eden."

"Last Eden?" Aileen repeated, "He made it there?"

"Do you know where it is?" She opened her eyes again.

"You don't know?" Aileen smirked, "I was told you knew everything."

"Trust me, my knowledge extends further then many people can comprehend, but it seems that this reality is one I've yet to explore." she sighed, "What happened here?"

"It's a little confusing, but you'll understand." Aileen took a breath and began, "This is only a rumor, but I know it's true. There was a man, a Mr. Lutece, I think. He lived alone in the house at the edge of town. People say he was a creep, but I just feel sorry for him. His sister disappeared a long time ago, and his wife died in an accident. He's old, but apparently hasn't aged at all." She looked down at Rosalind to make sure she was still listening, "Anyway, he made a machine. It was supposed to take him to another reality, one where his sister hadn't disappeared I think. But the moment he started it up, things went wrong. There was an explosion, and a lot of people died. And I mean a lot of people. From here to Maine was affected and considered a danger zone. They've sealed us away here and taken the wealthy to Last Eden."

"Mr. Lutece." she whispered. It was Robert who'd caused all of this? "And what happened to Mr. Lutece."

"He made it into Last Eden, somehow. I doubt they would have let him in if they knew all of this was his fault." Aileen said. The man returned with a bowl of soup and Aileen took it, "This should warm you up." she smiled, "Do you need me to feed you?"

"No thank you, I can handle myself." She forced herself up and reached for the bowl. She was aware of how weak she was, but she wouldn't let them know that. She lifted the spoon to her lips and sipped at the soup. It was hot, too hot for her. "Thank you." she nodded.

"I'll leave you alone, and maybe find some clothes for you. You look like you stepped out of the 1800's." Aileen laughed and walked away. Rosalind waited for the soup to cool before eating an entire spoonful. It tasted like it might have been chicken noodle soup, but the taste was so watered down that she couldn't tell. There were chunks of tasteless meat that she hoped was chicken. It probably wasn't, if what Aileen and said was correct, the they probably wouldn't have access to things like that.

She finished her soup and placed the bowl on the table. She was still cold, but the soup had helped. She gently laid back dow and sighed. She would need to rest if she was going to set back out after the storm.

0.o.0.o.0

The storm outside raged on for hours and she spent most of that time resting. Her body temperature had slowly climbed back to a normal temperature, but she still found herself too weak to stand. "When will this storm stop?" she asked. A yawn escaped her lips and she frowned. After all the time she'd spent sleeping, she would have expected to be well rested.

"I don't know, perhaps tomorrow." Aileen shrugged, "There's no telling with these things."

"Matt says it's that machine, it's still on at his house, and it's causing people to mutate and the weather to go crazy." the man said.

"You believe everything Matt says." Aileen sighed.

"Well, maybe it's true, you never know."

Rosalind shivered and closed her eyes, what machine? She'd been to Robert's house, and there were no machines there. Of course, she hadn't looked through the house at all, but she'd have felt something that powerful. A machine that could cause mutations and drastic weather must have radiated some sort of power. But she hadn't felt anything like it. Perhaps, it was just a rumor.

"You're leg, is it alright?" Aileen asked suddenly, "That bite looks really painful."

"Really?" Rosalind lifted the blanket and looked down at her legs. There was a bandage on her left calf and upon lifting it she saw the large bit. The wound of course was stitched together neatly. But the edges were red and swelling up. She wrinkled her nose, "I can't feel it at all." she replied.

"I hope there isn't any nerve damage, you were out there a while. I did the best I could with the stitches." Aileen sighed, "I had to get Papa, to pull you in here."

"Why did it stop attacking?" she questioned. Whatever had attacked her after she'd passed out would have had the perfect opportunity to kill her, but it only bit her once. She replaced the bandage and sat back.

"Hm? No idea, you were alone when we found you." Aileen said, "But you're lucky. The fact that it was so cold kept you from bleeding out."

"Matt and I are going to check it out soon." Leo spoke up, "That house, I want to see if I can shut the thing off."

"Papa, don't walk so far for a rumor. There's nothing there." Aileen sighed.

"Don't worry, we'll take out some of those mutants on the way there." Leo said, "Maybe we could even find some supplies there." Rosalind scowled, she did not want them searching and taking Robert's things. But what could she say? They wouldn't react well if they found out that _she_ was the woman Robert had destroyed the state to find.

"Papa." Aileen sighed, "Just leave it."

"Tomorrow morning, we'll leave." Leo ignored his daughter's words, "He was a smart guy, so he might have some medicine. She'll need some once her senses return."

"I'll be leaving tomorrow." Rosalind said, "I have to find my brother."

"He's in Last Eden right? There's no way you'll make it with your leg like that. Give yourself time to heal before you start traveling." Leo said.

"But, I can't wait." she tried.

"But you can't go now either, you can barely move." Aileen said, "Let us help you for now, your brother should be safe if he's in Last Eden and I'm sure he'd like it if you were safe too."

She was right. She knew how much Robert used to fuss over her well being, it annoyed her, but at the same time she was glad for it. No one else bothered with her well being, they'd all just pressured her to further advance her tear machine. "But it's been so long already." she said quietly, "I need to see him."

"You'll have to wait." Aileen sighed, "Why don't you sleep?"

"I've slept enough." She yawned again. She didn't have the strenght to argue with the girl. She sank down onto the bed and sighed, "Alright."

"I'll wake you for dinner." Aileen smiled.

"I hope you like peas." Leo laughed.

"No one likes peas Papa." Aileen laughed as they left the room. She closed her eyes and sleep cam to her easily.

0.o.0.o.0

"I know you said to stay away, but I need your help." Robert paced the room slowly, "She's gone. She went out to get the paper and disappeared."

"And you expect me to find her?" Booker said quietly. Robert nodded and followed Booker's gaze to Anna's room, "If she really disappeared as you said, wouldn't be able to help."

"I… I just want to make sure my theory is correct. I don't think someone took her, but I can't be sure." he sighed. When Rosalind didn't come home, Robert panicked. Very rarely did she leave the house on her own, and when she did, she always returned within the hour. But she was only supposed to get the paper. It should have been right on their stoop. If someone had taken her, why hadn't she screamed? Or it least made some sort of noise.

But something else had been worrying him all night. He feared Rosalind would disappear since her reality had been erased. It was possible and he didn't want to risk it. He'd told her to stop jumping, but she hadn't been willing to listen.

"I can't remember you ever sounding so worried." Booker said, "What will you do if she disappeared for good?"

"What can I do?" He asked. Nothing. If she was gone forever there was nothing he could do. "But she isn't, she might have gotten trapped in another universe or a different time."

"I'm not doing anything else with those tears again. I have Anna now, and I can't risk losing her again." Booker said, "I'll do whatever I can from this world."

"Thank you." Robert nodded, "I'll leave you alone now, and we'll discuss your pay tomorrow." He left the apartment, he was hoping to find her before then, but on the chance that he didn't… Well, he'd probably have to think about a future _without her._

_0.o.0.o.0_

_Hmm, I decided to put Robert in here as well. I couldn't resist. Robert's scenes will take place in the year 1895 and Rosalind's take place in 1989. And Booker! Whoo! But he probably won't be here for long. I mean, we already know that she's in the future, there's nothing he can do._

_Please review._


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